Audio Available from June 2 - Acts 12:1-24 "Renewed Opposition; yet the Word of God Spreads and Flourishes"

Following a season of peace (see 9:31), the church comes under fire once again - this time from King Herod.  The story of chapter 12 is a drama filled with mystery, intrigue, irony and humor.  The loss of James at the hand of Herod is tragic.  The rescue of Peter has many elements of humor but stands as a testimony yet again to the the reality that all of this is the work of God from beginning to end.  He is saved only by the grace and supernatural power of God.  From this story we receive a call to prayer and a call to worship.  The appropriate 'kingdom' response to opposition is earnest prayer!  Sometimes those prayers are mysteriously unanswered (James' death) while in other cases God sends along an answer that we are not even ready to receive (Peter's deliverance).  We are called to pray expectantly without presumption.  The call to worship is evident as we pay attention to the unstoppable work of global redemption that God is continuing to accomplish even in the face of opposition from powerful human kings!  We can take verse 24 and put it into the present tense: The Word of God is continuing to spread and flourish!  Glory to God!